The first round sweep at the hands of No. 1 seed OKC was a forgettable series for Phoenix Suns fans, but a positive parting shot from the league MVP can at least take some of the sting out.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — who praised fellow Canadian Dillon Brooks earlier this year for the impact he’s had on winning since his move to The Valley — again gave props to his Team Canada teammate after sweeping him out of the postseason.
‘Very impressive,’ SGA again praises Dillon Brooks’ game
Brooks was one of the few bright spots for Phoenix in the series overall, averaging 26 points per game on 45.9% shooting from the field and a sterling 43.8% from 3-point range. Those were all big improvements over his regular season numbers, which already included a career high scoring average.
When asked postgame after the Game 4 win what he’s seen from Brooks growth-wise as a player, SGA again praised “The Villain” for reinventing himself with the Suns.
“Hat’s off to him,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s impressive to redefine yourself this late into a career — very impressive.”
SGA said that for him, he used his second year in the pros to redefine who he was as a player. But that Brooks is doing so now, at age 30, in year nine with his third NBA team speaks to his work ethic and ability to continue to grow as a player even as one of the league's veteran talents.
“It just goes to show the work he puts in,” SGA said of Brooks. “He’s a worker. He’s always in the gym. Being around him, you know that.”
SGA added that, “The work pays off.”
Unlike Devin Booker, who scored 21.3 points per game in the series after averaging 26.1 per contest during the regular season, and Jalen Green, who shot a woeful 38.6% from the field and 20.6% from 3-point range in the series, Brooks managed to raise his game in the playoff atmosphere.
Those performances were not lost on SGA, who knows a thing or two about showing up in clutch with 4th quarter numbers that defy logic.
After a rough Game 1 in which Brooks shot just 6-of-22 from the field, he made more than 52% of his field goals in Games 2-4. He scored 30 points in Game 2 before fouling out, 33 points in Game 3 and finished with 23 points in Game 4.
Perhaps just as impressive, Brooks committed only six turnovers in the entire series against OKC, who boast the best defensive rating (and net rating) in basketball.
Just to put that in perspective, Green turned the ball over seven times in Game 2 alone (13 for the series), and Booker had six turnovers in Game 4 (16 total for the series).
Brooks' combination of scoring efficiency and ball security showed he was more than ready for the physicality of the postseason.
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